Wulli Wulli woman Arabella Walker has shared her experience working with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) Compose Program, where her artworks became the foundation for new orchestral compositions by secondary school students.

Ms Walker, who grew up dancing, began painting during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to explore her cultural identity and heritage.

"I decided I wanted to swap degrees and study painting and learn a bit more about my cultural heritage and family history," she said.

As part of the QSO Compose Program, Ms Walker presented a series of paintings depicting native Australian animals, alongside cultural context and personal stories linked to her connection to Auburn Station and her Wulli Wulli heritage.

"I gave them a selection of different works and talked about them in a cultural sense, but also how I made them, the layering of colours and patterns," she said.

Students used this background to create original classical compositions, interpreting Ms Walker's visual storytelling through music.

Ms Walker said hearing the compositions for the first time was a surreal moment.

"I went to the rehearsals a few weeks ago and I was just like, wow," she said.

"They interpreted it and added layers to it as if I was painting it.

"It was really cool to hear that cross between contemporary art in a cultural sense, and something so classical."

Each student selected one of her works to reference.

Ms Walker said many chose the piece featuring a tawny frogmouth, while others focused on emus and other animals.

"They all sounded so different," she said.

"It was really ear-opening to hear how classically it could be interpreted."

Ms Walker said the experience of working with the QSO and students was both refreshing and rewarding.

"They seem like they've got a lot of new fresh eyes that are really keen to try new things and also get First Nations points of view and really support that space," she said.

She also praised the students' genuine curiosity and respectful engagement with her work.

"I was surprised at how open and genuinely curious they were about the artworks and how they connected to me and my culture," she said.

"Even though music and painting are very different, I think they understood that the work had a story, a purpose and a weight to it."

The QSO Compose Program compositions will be performed later this year, with Ms Walker's artworks on display in the QSO foyer during NAIDOC Week.